DONA ANA WILDERNESS

Sen.: "Wilderness' up in the air

Whether U.S. Sen. Jeff Bingaman decides to back an attempt to create a federal wilderness area in Doña Ana County will hinge on how much consensus there is for the measure, the senator said during a visit to the area Thursday. Bingaman, D-N.M., has been touring New Mexico the past two weeks during an August recess of the Senate. He said staff in his office are examining the wilderness issue and he's awaiting a report. "We've got some people taking soundings on this and seeing if this is something we ought to devote significant amounts of time to," he said, during an interview at the Sun-News office. How much consensus is the senator looking for? Bingaman said he doesn't have a specific threshold, but he'll recognize the support if he sees it. Bingaman said he's heard several differing plans for protecting federal land in Doña Ana County, but so far, none has "enjoyed the broad support you'd like to see to proceed."...."It's a question of where do we spend our time and energy," he said. "We've got lots of projects to pursue in Congress."....This is a positive for those who oppose the New Mexico Wilderness Alliance proposal and for those who are seeking alternatives to that proposal. Senator Bingaman is quite correct in that the NMWA proposal does not enjoy "the broad support you'd like to see."